COUNTY NEWS: Shop owner warns of fake £50 note scam

James Butler

A Sussex shop owner has warned people to stay alert as a fake £50 note scam sweeps the south coast.

Shoppers and retail staff across Sussex are being warned to keep an eye out for the fake notes after reports of the scam increased in Hampshire and West Sussex.

Dave Hockridge runs a retail business in South Street in Chichester, West Sussex, and has noticed the problem grow in the city during the last few months after spreading from Portsmouth.

He said just this week a customer tried to pay with a fake £50 for a small purchase, but thankfully they were spotted by an eagle-eyed staff member after being warned of a similar incident at Mr Hockridge’s Portsmouth store.

Regarding the Portsmouth incident, he said: “They are very bad copies and didn’t even have to leave the man’s hand.

“He said he’d just been payed with them. I told him he should give them back to his employer.”

If you have any information about the £50 note scam, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.